Thursday August 5, 2004

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Thursday August 5, 2004 Union Bribery Just Before Olympics Start Hotel workers in and around this Greek capital staged a strike Wednesday to demand double wages and an Olympic bonus as has been promised to security personnel for this month's games, Xinhua reports. It was the sixth strike in the past month by the union, which includes cleaning staff and kitchen personnel.Ê The hotel workers' union is demanding that monthly minimum pay rise for workers in hotels to compensate longer working hours and shorter holidays. The government has already promised bonuses to other personnel providing security for the Aug 13-29 Olympic Games. Despite the Olympics, tourism in Greece has dropped sharply, prompting government officials to call for an overhaul of vital services. The government, however, is trying to keep costs down as Olympic spending has skyrocketed. A total of 14,670 hotel workers are employed in greater Athens. (Source: Hamilton Spectator) Athens, Greece, Olympics, ancient, greek, urn, vase, history, pentathlon, javelin, discus, labour, strike, union

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday August 5, 2004

Union Bribery Just Before Olympics Start

Hotel workers in and around this Greek capital staged a strike Wednesday to demand double wages and an Olympic bonus as has been promised to security personnel for this month’s games, Xinhua reports. It was the sixth strike in the past month by the union, which includes cleaning staff and kitchen personnel.

The hotel workers’ union is demanding that monthly minimum pay rise for workers in hotels to compensate longer working hours and shorter holidays. The government has already promised bonuses to other personnel providing security for the Aug 13-29 Olympic Games.

Despite the Olympics, tourism in Greece has dropped sharply, prompting government officials to call for an overhaul of vital services.

The government, however, is trying to keep costs down as Olympic spending has skyrocketed.

A total of 14,670 hotel workers are employed in greater Athens. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

 

Friday July 23, 2004

July 23, 2004

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday July 23, 2004

Molson and Coor’s Merge

Canada’s Molson and US-based Coors have announced plans for a “merger of equals” of the two family-controlled brewers creating the world’s fifth largest beermaker by volume.

The deal “will create a new company with the operating scale and balance sheet strength to take a leading role in the consolidating global brewing industry,” the companies said in a joint statement. 

With combined beer production of 60 million hectoliters (51 million barrels), the company to be named Molson Coors Brewing Company will be the world’s fifth largest brewing company by volume, the statement said. 

“This transaction allows us to create a stronger company in a consolidating global industry while preserving Molson’s rich heritage as North America’s oldest beer company and Canada’s leading brewer,” said Eric Molson, chairman of the Canadian firm. 

The two firms are steeped in brewing history, with Montreal-based Molson, founded in 1786, as Canada’s oldest brewer, while Coors dates its founding back to 1873, when Adolph Coors created the firm in Golden, Colorado. (Sydney Morning Herald) 

 

Tuesday June 22, 2004

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Tuesday June 22, 2004 NDP tantalized by prospect of sweeping Hamilton From his storefront campaign office on one of Hamilton's major thoroughfares, David Christopherson surveys a landscape of orange and green signs. It's a pleasant sight for a New Democrat who is running in a riding that for so many years has been federal Liberal turf. Mr. Christopherson is winning the street war against Revenue Minister Stan Keyes and pundits suggest Hamilton Centre is about to fall into NDP hands. The veteran provincial politician isn't about to say the battle has been won, but there is a feeling here -- and in the other ridings that make up this steel city -- that the Liberals are on their way out. "Signs don't vote," Mr. Christopherson said. "But they do show momentum in this town. People take that as an indication that . . . there are people who are not only going to vote for you, but are prepared to stand proud and help you get the message out.Ó In fact, this election could be the last stand for not just one, but two Liberal cabinet ministers from Hamilton. Tony Valeri, the Transport Minister, who won a vicious battle against Sheila Copps for the nomination in Hamilton-East Stoney Creek is in one of the toughest three-way races in Ontario, and critics are giving the edge to NDP candidate Tony DePaulo. On Hamilton Mountain, veteran Liberal Beth Phinney appears to be trailing her opponents and the NDP is hopeful of taking that riding. And in Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, parts of the constituency are leaning toward Conservative candidate David Sweet while others seem to favour Gordon Guyatt, a New Democrat who is also an outspoken local doctor. Russ Powers, the Liberal, has a fighting chance. But it's tight. All of this has the NDP dreaming of the unlikely, but not unthinkable, prospect of taking Hamilton's four seats. "The first thing I noticed going out [to campaign]was the absolute rage that people

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Tuesday June 22, 2004

NDP tantalized by prospect of sweeping Hamilton

From his storefront campaign office on one of Hamilton’s major thoroughfares, David Christopherson surveys a landscape of orange and green signs. It’s a pleasant sight for a New Democrat who is running in a riding that for so many years has been federal Liberal turf.

Mr. Christopherson is winning the street war against Revenue Minister Stan Keyes and pundits suggest Hamilton Centre is about to fall into NDP hands.

The veteran provincial politician isn’t about to say the battle has been won, but there is a feeling here — and in the other ridings that make up this steel city — that the Liberals are on their way out.

“Signs don’t vote,” Mr. Christopherson said. “But they do show momentum in this town. People take that as an indication that . . . there are people who are not only going to vote for you, but are prepared to stand proud and help you get the message out.”

In fact, this election could be the last stand for not just one, but two Liberal cabinet ministers from Hamilton. Tony Valeri, the Transport Minister, who won a vicious battle against Sheila Copps for the nomination in Hamilton-East Stoney Creek is in one of the toughest three-way races in Ontario, and critics are giving the edge to NDP candidate Tony DePaulo.

On Hamilton Mountain, veteran Liberal Beth Phinney appears to be trailing her opponents and the NDP is hopeful of taking that riding.

And in Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale, parts of the constituency are leaning toward Conservative candidate David Sweet while others seem to favour Gordon Guyatt, a New Democrat who is also an outspoken local doctor. Russ Powers, the Liberal, has a fighting chance. But it’s tight.

All of this has the NDP dreaming of the unlikely, but not unthinkable, prospect of taking Hamilton’s four seats.

“The first thing I noticed going out [to campaign]was the absolute rage that people had against the Liberals,” Mr. Christopherson said. “Every day I kept waiting for it to dissipate a little — it’s still there.” (Source: Globe & Mail)

Friday June 11, 2004

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday June 11, 2004 Dalton's Approval Rating A poll released this week by SES Research shows that the provincial Liberals have dropped precipitously and are now in second place, with the support of 34 per cent of decided voters - down 15 points from the previous poll - compared with 41 per cent for the Conservatives. (Some 500 randomly chosen Ontarians were surveyed May 29 and 30 for this poll. A sample of this size is accurate within 4.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.) Even worse news in the poll for the provincial Liberals is what it says about McGuinty. He has slipped below lame-duck Conservative Leader Ernie Eves, for goodness' sake, as the voters' top choice for the job of premier. Indeed, McGuinty is running behind even "don't know" in this category, although he is still ahead of NDP Leader Howard Hampton. And only 9 per cent of voters rate McGuinty's performance to date as "good" or "very good" compared with 54 per cent who think it has been "poor" or "very poor.Ó This 9 per cent figure has been misrepresented by other media and by the opposition parties as an "approval rating, " which would represent a historic low for a politician in Canada. (Brian Mulroney's approval rating as prime minister once dropped to just 12 per cent.) But voters were not asked by SES Research whether they "approved" or "disapproved" of McGuinty's performance. Rather, the question posed was: "Based on his performance to date, would you describe the job he has done as very good, good, average, poor or very poor?" Some 32 per cent rated it as "average." It is a big stretch to interpret their answer as "disapproval." Still, the numbers for McGuinty in the SES Research poll are bad enough. (Source: Toronto Star) Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, poll, support, popularity, Liberal, pollster

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday June 11, 2004

Dalton’s Approval Rating

A poll released this week by SES Research shows that the provincial Liberals have dropped precipitously and are now in second place, with the support of 34 per cent of decided voters – down 15 points from the previous poll – compared with 41 per cent for the Conservatives.

(Some 500 randomly chosen Ontarians were surveyed May 29 and 30 for this poll. A sample of this size is accurate within 4.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.)

Even worse news in the poll for the provincial Liberals is what it says about McGuinty.

He has slipped below lame-duck Conservative Leader Ernie Eves, for goodness’ sake, as the voters’ top choice for the job of premier. Indeed, McGuinty is running behind even “don’t know” in this category, although he is still ahead of NDP Leader Howard Hampton.

And only 9 per cent of voters rate McGuinty’s performance to date as “good” or “very good” compared with 54 per cent who think it has been “poor” or “very poor.”

This 9 per cent figure has been misrepresented by other media and by the opposition parties as an “approval rating, ” which would represent a historic low for a politician in Canada. (Brian Mulroney’s approval rating as prime minister once dropped to just 12 per cent.)

But voters were not asked by SES Research whether they “approved” or “disapproved” of McGuinty’s performance. Rather, the question posed was: “Based on his performance to date, would you describe the job he has done as very good, good, average, poor or very poor?” Some 32 per cent rated it as “average.” It is a big stretch to interpret their answer as “disapproval.”

Still, the numbers for McGuinty in the SES Research poll are bad enough. (Source: Toronto Star)

 

Thursday May 27, 2004

May 27, 2004

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday May 27, 2004

The return of John Crosbie?

The once-imposing physique reflected the frail state of his 73-year-old birth certificate, but the Newfie blarney rolling off his biting tongue was as sharp as ever.

John Crosbie walked into a St. John’s hotel lobby on Wednesday to declare himself seriously interested in becoming a comeback Conservative MP over the “savage objections” of his wife Jane.

If, as he warned less than two years ago, the Conservatives must beware the “morticians in the Alliance party” and reject any unification overture, this startling development makes Crosbie a prized open-coffin conversion.

The senior cabinet minister during Joe Clark’s and Brian Mulroney’s reigns was among the most severely deluded of the truest, bluest, Progressive Conservatives, seeing the end of moderation and the rise of the far right in any guilty association with the Alliance. The future, Crosbie huffed into any open microphone, lay in the miracle of the PC franchise’s rebirth, with Alliance members crawling back over glass to again embrace the party of Confederation. (Calgary Herald)